He brings to the table a bowl of mixed rice noodles and spaghetti under a rich, dense pork broth. Fresh coriander, green onion and cucumber float on top, ready to pierce the richness of the mushroom-laden gravy.

Why don’t we have our own Burma Superstar or anything like NorCal?

Matt Kyin

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It’s one of many recipes the graphic designer learned at his mother’s side during the two years he took a step back from his career to raise two boys.

He then sets down a cheerful bowl of bright yellow khao soi tousled with ribbons of lemon rind and mung bean fritters. It’s not as overtly sweet as its Northern Thai counterpart, sustaining a balanced interplay of citrus, dried chilies and fresh coconut. Kyin considers it an ideal entry point for Burmese novices familiar with Thai food.

He beams recounting early morning oyster pancakes by Yangon’s waterways; the night markets he’d wander, lost in ecstasy, as a child; and Mandalay’s 1,000 pagodas.

The plan is to switch items up monthly at the pop-up. Myanmar’s national dish, the catfish noodle stew mohinga, is on deck for February, while warmer months will see the fermented tea leaf salad lahpet thoke.